A Birmingham, Ala., attorney has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison on federal child pornography charges, the U.S. Justice Department announced March 7.
Chase Tristian Espy, 36, of Vestavia, Ala., was sentenced to 97 months in prison followed by 20 years of supervised release by District Court Judge Annemarie Axon, according to the news release. Espy must also pay additional special assessments of $15,000 "pursuant to the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act" and an additional $5,000 "pursuant to the Justice for Victims of Trafficking Act," the release states. Assessments collected are used to support victim services, according to the release.
"No one is above the law, and today's sentence sends a message to anyone who preys on innocent children," U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona said in the release. "I commend the hard work and commitment of our local, state, and federal law enforcement partners to bring this defendant to justice. We will use every tool available to us to investigate and prosecute those who target children for abuse."
Epsy entered a guilty plea to possession of child pornography in October 2022, the release states. Court documents show Espy was under investigation when he conducted online chats with an undercover law enforcement officer whom Espy thought was a 15-year-old-girl, according to the release. Espy was arrested and his cell phone was seized; a warranted search discovered approximately 69 videos and four images of child sexual abuse material, the release reports.
The Homewood Police Department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the FBI Birmingham Child Exploitation Human Trafficking Task Force worked on the investigation, the DOL reports. Assistant U.S. Attorneys R. Leann White and Jonathan Cross are handling the prosecution. Espy is in the custody of the U.S. Marshal, according to the release.
The Department of Justice's Operation Safe Childhood, a national program to tackle the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, was the catalyst for the case's filing. Project Safe Childhood, which is coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the Criminal Division, pools federal, state, and local resources to find, catch, and punish people who abuse children online as well as to identify and help victims.
The Department of Justice's Operation Safe Childhood, a national program to tackle the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, was the catalyst for the case's filing. Project Safe Childhood, which is coordinated by U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS) of the Criminal Division, pools federal, state, and local resources to find, catch, and punish people who abuse children online as well as to identify and help victims. Visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov for additional details about Project Safe Childhood.
